Janssen Project vs Pocket ID
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Pocket ID
Simple OIDC provider that uses only passkeys
| Feature | Janssen Project | Pocket ID |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | kubernetes, helm | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 649 | ★ 9,266 |
| First released | 2020 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Okta, Auth0 | Auth0, Authelia |
What are Janssen Project and Pocket ID?
Janssen Project
The Janssen Project is a Linux Foundation effort delivering a scalable, cloud-native identity and access management platform. It implements OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and FIDO standards for authentication and authorization.
- OpenID Connect provider
- OAuth 2.0 server
- FIDO2 and passkeys
- Cloud-native deployment
Pocket ID
Pocket ID is an open-source, simple OpenID Connect provider that authenticates users exclusively with passkeys. It is self-hosted to add passwordless SSO to applications with minimal configuration.
- Passkey-only authentication
- Simple OIDC provider
- Minimal configuration
- Lightweight
Janssen Project vs Pocket ID: key differences
Janssen Project is written in Java, while Pocket ID is built with Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Janssen Project versus BSD-2-Clause for Pocket ID. Pocket ID is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Janssen Project. Janssen Project is the more established project (first released 2020), while Pocket ID arrived in 2024. Pocket ID has the considerably larger community, at 9,266 GitHub stars versus 649. Pocket ID lists first-class Docker deployment; Janssen Project does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Janssen Project if…
- Standards complete
- Built for scale
Watch out for
- Complex to operate
- Heavy resource needs
Choose Pocket ID if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.3k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Janssen Project or Pocket ID better?
Pocket ID is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Janssen Project if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Janssen Project and Pocket ID free and open-source?
Yes. Janssen Project is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Pocket ID under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Janssen Project and Pocket ID with Docker?
Janssen Project: check the project docs for container support. Pocket ID: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Janssen Project or Pocket ID?
Pocket ID has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Janssen Project. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.